Neutralizing antibody responses in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals infected with Omicron BA.1 variant

The Omicron variant, with numerous mutations in the spike protein, reduces vaccine-induced immunity, leading to breakthrough infections. However, vaccine protection after infection with the Omicron variant is unclear.

To compare the neutralizing antibody responses between unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals infected with the Omicron variant, we have collected serial plasma samples from five unvaccinated and four vaccinated individuals with Omicron variant infection, including the first Omicron breakthrough infection case in the Republic of Korea. We evaluated neutralization antibody titers against D614G, Delta, and Omicron using live virus neutralizing assay, and calculated the plaque reduction neutralizing test value.

In patients with two-dose vaccinations, neutralizing antibodies against Omicron variant were detected in plasma collected 4-9 days post symptom onset. However, in the plasma from unvaccinated patients and those vaccinated with one dose, neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant at the same time point were undetectable. Next, the 1- or 2-dose vaccinated infected groups showed potent cross-neutralizing activity against D614G and Delta variants after 11-14 days. In contrast, the neutralizing antibody titers in the unvaccinated group were low or undetectable.

The major limitation of this study is the small sample size due to the limited samples targeting the first reported cases of Omicron BA.1 variant infection in the Republic of Korea (n = 9). Nevertheless, we found that vaccinated individuals rapidly produced neutralizing antibodies against Omicron, and potent cross-neutralizing antibodies against D614G and Delta upon infection with Omicron.